In a Wednesday tweet, U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) laid out four different ways the Democrat election bill would affect Tennessee and its voters.
“Democrats in Washington tried to seize control of Tennessee’s election laws and fortunately they failed miserably,” Rep. Burchett wrote in the tweet. “Here are some of the ways they would have forced Tennessee leaders to change our election laws without our consent.”
Democrats in Washington tried to seize control of Tennessee's election laws and fortunately they failed miserably. Here are some of the ways they would have forced Tennessee leaders to change our election laws without our consent. pic.twitter.com/0okKf6ebOr
— Rep. Tim Burchett (@RepTimBurchett) January 26, 2022
The first change the legislation would have on Tennessee is voter identification. According to Burchett’s tweet, Tennessee requires a government-issued photo ID to vote. Under the Democrats’ legislation, Tennessee would be forced to accept a simple sworn statement as sufficient proof of identity.
The second change the legislation would have on Tennessee involves same-day voter registration. Burchett’s tweet notes, Tennessee requires individuals to register to vote 30 days before the next election, however, under the Democrats’ legislation, Tennessee would be forced to adopt same-day legislation.
The third change the legislation would have on the state includes the eligibility age to vote. According to Burchett’s tweet, Tennessee currently requires individuals to be at least 18 years old to register to vote. However, under the Democrats’ legislation Tennessee would need to lower the voting age to 16 years old.
Finally, the last change mentioned in Burchett’s tweet involves felon voting. In Tennessee, individuals convicted of certain felonies may not be eligible to vote. With the Democrats’ legislation, Tennessee would be forced to get rid of their current rules and allow all felons who have been released to vote.
As previously reported, on January 19th, the Senate rejected a Democratic effort to alter the filibuster in order to pass their long-sought voting bills over unanimous Republican opposition.
After the legislation collapsed, President Joe Biden said he was “profoundly disappointed” by the outcome, however, added he was not deterred and would explore all options to protect the vote, according to MarketWatch.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tim Burchett” by U.S. House of Representatives. Background Photo “Election Day 2020” by Phil Roeder. CC BY 2.0.
